By Sam Volz: Promoter Frank Warren says Tyson Fury can’t take the Dec. 17 fight requested by Anthony Joshua because he has the undisputed Oleksandr Usyk clash he needs to prepare for in February or March.
For that reason, Fury wants a quick answer from Joshua (24-3, 22 KOs), setting a deadline today for him to agree or disagree on his two dates of Nov. 26 or Dec. 3.
Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has already said he wants a Dec. 17 date for the fight. So unless AJ and Hearn are willing to compromise on that date, the Fury fight won’t happen this year.
It really isn’t a big deal if Joshua doesn’t fight Fury in December, as the fight will be there for him in 2023, regardless of the outcome of his showdown with unified heavyweight champion Usyk.
The deadline that WBC champion Fury (32-0-1, 23 KOs) is giving Joshua for today seems a bit harsh as it suggests that he feels his champion status places him head and shoulders above the former champion.
Unfortunately for Fury, his champion status means very little in this age of boxing, as what matters now is who puts butts in the seats and sells pay-per-views. Joshua is arguably still above Fury in those categories.
I don’t think Joshua’s self-esteem has sunk to the point of letting Fury boss him around with his deadlines and fight dates.
If Fury values the Joshua fight, he will accept the Dec. 17 date, as well as the 60-40 split his promoter Hearn is asking for for the rematch.
“The offer is there and we need a quick response because Tyson told me again this morning that if they don’t come back with the go-ahead, then we’re moving on,” Frank Warren told iFL TV about November 26 or December 3. dates they want Anthony Joshua to accept.
“He wants to make sure there’s no problem for the Usyk fight in February or March, and he needs some decent preparation,” Warren said. “He doesn’t want to do it at the end of December.
“That’s why I wanted to do it earlier. He’s not going to slow it down any longer. Anyway, I don’t think he can because of the situation with Usyk. Obviously there’s only a small window to start that fight as well,” Warren said.
